As some of you may know, I am currently working my way through all of the titles shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction since the prize began in 2010. Allan Massie’s End Games in Bordeaux appeared on the 2016 list, but on discovering that it was the final book in a series of four, I was faced with a dilemma: should I just read the book that I needed to read for the prize or should I do as I usually prefer to do and start from the beginning of the series? In the end I decided to at least try the first book, Death in Bordeaux, in the hope that I would enjoy it enough to want to read the other three anyway.
The novel opens in Bordeaux in March 1940, with Superintendent Jean Lannes investigating the death of an old friend, Gaston Chambolley, whose mutilated body has been found in a street near the railway station. Gaston was homosexual and Lannes’s superiors are happy to assume that this was some sort of sex crime, but Lannes himself is sure there must be another explanation. The dead man’s sister-in-law has gone missing after becoming caught up in the political intrigue surrounding the Spanish Civil War, but as soon as Lannes suggests that her disappearance could be linked in some way with Gaston’s murder, he is ordered to drop his investigations immediately. Lannes, however, knows that he won’t be able to rest until he finds out who killed his friend and why.
In a seemingly unrelated case, he is also called in to help the elderly Comte de Grimaud identify the sender of some threatening letters he has received. As he gets to know the various members of the Comte’s dysfunctional family, Lannes begins to uncover some links with the other case he is working on – and that is all I will say about the plot, as it quickly becomes quite complex and I couldn’t go any further without spoiling the story.
All of this unfolds during the early stages of World War II – a period in which, at first, very little seems to be happening despite France having declared war on Germany. Soon, though, France becomes occupied, refugees from Paris begin to arrive in Bordeaux, and Lannes and his wife become increasingly afraid for their eldest son, Dominique, who is at the Front. While the author does provide a lot of historical detail, describing the major events and political decisions, and setting the story in its context, the focus is always on how the war is affecting the lives of our main characters: Lannes’ wife, Marguerite, writes letters to Dominique which she knows she’ll never send; their younger children, Alain and Clothilde, try to decide how they feel about the occupation of their country; and Alain’s new Jewish friend, Léon, wonders for how much longer he will be safe in France.
By the end of the novel, the war is still in progress and the personal stories of the characters mentioned above (and many others) have not been resolved. I believe that in the next book in the series, Dark Summer in Bordeaux, we rejoin some of the characters introduced in this one, so for that reason I’m glad I decided to start at the beginning. I can’t say that I loved this book – I found it slow and a bit too drawn out in places and it didn’t really work for me as a murder mystery. As a portrayal of life in Occupied France, though, it is an interesting, quietly atmospheric read. I liked it enough to want to continue with the second novel – and hopefully then the third and the fourth.
This is Book #3 for the R.I.P. XII challenge.
She Reads Novels 
We have just about all of his books as my husband reads him, but I’ve only read one of them which I quite enjoyed but was put off by an anomaly near the end of it, something an editor should have picked up. I like the idea of the setting of this one though so I might read it.
It’s a shame about the anomaly – that sort of thing can really put you off a book. This is the first book by Allan Massie I’ve read and I was surprised to see how many others he has written!
Oh boy, looks like I have to read another series.
I’m not sure whether it’s really necessary to read the whole series, but it’s probably a good idea.
I’ve heard Massie praised highly by some of crime fiction friends but haven’t yet found a space for him. Your review makes me think I should at least try this first novel.
I had one or two reservations about this novel, but it left me wanting to read more so it was a success overall.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this one enough to progress to the next in the series even though it perhaps works better as a historical fiction novel rather than a mystery. Great review and I will be keeping an eye out for this book.
Yes, I loved the historical setting but the mystery element was a bit disappointing. I’m looking forward to reading the next one, though!
I like the idea of mystery combined with history. I would have read the earlier books too!
I don’t like coming to a series at the end or even halfway through if I can help it, so it was always likely that I would decide to start with the first one! I think it was the right decision.
Like you Helen, I really don’t like reading book series out of order 🙂
I usually prefer to start at the beginning if I can and as there are only four books in this series it didn’t seem too daunting!
Sounds interesting… Thanks!
Yes, it’s a really interesting setting and period in France’s history. I’m sure I will be reading the rest of the series.